How Social Entrepreneurship Is Helping to Improve EducationWorldwide : McGraw-Hill Research Foundation Policy Paper

'How Social Entrepreneurship is Helping to Improve Education Worldwide', a McGraw-Hill Research Foundation policy paper, outlines specific ways in which social enterprise is improving education in the U.S. and in developing countries. Written by Rupert Scofield, President and CEO of The Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA), a global microfinance network, it underscores the power of harnessing philosophies of for-profit business to create organizations that are mission-driven, innovative, sustainable, and effective.

Scofield shows how social entrepreneurship is playing a key role in devising innovative ways to improve access to and quality of education both domestically and abroad. He uses case studies from four organizations: Genesys Works, The Women's Housing and Economic Development Fund, DonorsChoose.org and The Mann Deshi Foundation to illustrate the effectiveness of the social enterprise model and the impact social entrepreneurship can have on the issues plaguing the education sector including:

Improving early childhood and youth education in low-income communities

Introducing alternative channels of funding for education and redefining traditional methods of giving

Providing basic education and business skills training to underserved and at-risk populations

Increasing income opportunities for people living in poverty through financial services that allow for start-up or expansion of microenterprises, enabling them to afford education for their children